Rebuilding a town, building a movement

European Commission Tibor Navracsics, from Hungary, oversees the roll-out of a new European Solidarity Corps and was in an optimistic mood when POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook caught up with him.

Navracsics spent Monday afternoon touring Norcia, an Italian village devastated by a 2016 earthquake, and his evening at a town hall meeting with locals.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker announced the Solidarity Corps’ creation in his 2016 State of the European Union speech. In nine months more than 35,000 young Europeans have signed up: “The biggest pool of motivated young people in Europe,” according to Navracsics.

Over 1,000 young people are now deployed to projects across Europe including the rebuilding of Norcia, which has youth from Austria, France, Greece, Hungary, Portugal and Spain staying in tents as they help with rebuilding the town.

What did you learn today about the impact of the European Solidarity Corps?

“When we launched the European Solidarity Corps last December we wanted to achieve two aims: first, promote solidarity, one of our core EU values; second, create new opportunities for young people to contribute to society. Here in Norcia, this comes together.

“The gratefulness of the people of Norcia is probably the most important thing to take back home for the young people, to see that they can make a positive impact, together with the personal improvements, some words in Italian for example, the team experience, or new organisational skills. But of course all this is not exclusive to Norcia.”

What does the European Solidarity Corps do different or better to what national resources are able to achieve?

“It promotes solidarity in every placement. But it is important that from the very beginning we conceived this as a complementary initiative: there are many fantastic projects at national, regional or even local level. But the situation is very different among EU countries, and we know there is an unmet demand.

“Only six percent of young Europeans tell us that they have volunteered abroad, and almost nine out of ten of all those who have not done so say it’s because they did not have the opportunity.

Do you think local people in Norcia can see and feel difference made by the solidarity corps?

“Of course! I am convinced that you can feel the positive impact of every single one who contributes to society. We know already today that at least 230 European Solidarity Corps participants will support the Italian earthquake regions over the next three years. All these young people will bring a lot of fresh energy and enthusiasm to the people who rebuild their homes, villages and towns from the rubble.

“I get a strong sense that the people from Norcia feel it is making a difference. They appreciate that these young volunteers are here to help them get through this difficult period and rebuild their lives. I think this is mainly because the Solidarity Corps members are right at the heart of this community, organising sport activities for children or card game tournaments for elderly residents, helping to rebuild the Basilica – while staying in the same tents that housed many locals immediately after the earthquakes.”

What will you take away from the questions posed at the ‘citizens’ dialogue’ event?

“Each Citizens’ Dialogue is an opportunity to collect people’s ideas, take them back to Brussels and use them in my daily work. These debates tend to show that while people’s main concerns may vary across Member States, there is a strong sense that the EU has an important role in tackling the fundamental issues affecting us: ensuring social mobility, building resilient, fair societies, preserving our planet – and above all, giving hope and trust in the future.

“The many questions and opinions people voiced here in Norcia on identity, also cultural identity, education, European integration, education, and not least European solidarity made this very clear.”

How would you describe the ‘state of the union’ after seeing the EU in practice in Norica, and thinking ahead to Juncker’s speech next week?

“The solidarity I am seeing here in Norcia, and the renewed hope and optimism it helps create have confirmed my firm belief that we can build a better future together. It shows, once again, that young people are vital in really making Europe a community of communities, and that they are eager to play their part.”

Navracsics called for a new long-term EU budget after 2020 “that delivers for young people.”